Pinellia peltata

This rarely seen pinellia, from the eastern China provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang, is one of the more unusual members of an already obscure genus. The glossy, peltate green leaves (like a heart-shaped plate balanced on a stick) produce a 1' wide clump. Starting in late spring, the clumps are adorned with lime-green spathe and spadix inflorescences...resembling an anorexic ET with a long, creamy yellow, whip-like tongue. In hot dry climates, Pinellia peltata will go summer dormant. In regions with cool night temperatures, they will form stolons that dive and re-emerge from the soil like a sea serpent, each ending in a new bulb (tubercle) on the tip. He who dies with the most bizarre plants wins...score early and often! Thanks to plantsman Jim Waddick for making this available.